Pasta is normally made of flour, eggs, salt and water.

Most pasta is made with semolina or durum, a type of wheat flour, but other grains, such as corn, rice, quinoa, spelt, and kamut can also be used. These alternative grains yield a softer and often more sticky pasta, but they are a welcome alternative for people with wheat allergies/intolerances.

Other pasta types are made with whole grain wheat, which makes the pasta darker and more nutritious, or wheat with other flours, including non-grain flours such as soy-bean flour.

Eggs are used in order to improve the technological quality of the pasta. Not only does the egg enrich pasta from a nutritional and organoleptic viewpoint, but it has an important technological function as well, since the egg makes the dough elastic, soft and resistant.

The water is often used to prepare the dough and make it possible to shape. During the drying step most water is removed.

Salt is added for the flavour.